Go to the Point Reyes Peninsula; as you get close to the peninsula, look for the small town of Olema. Quite close to Olema is the Bear Valley visitor center, beside the headquarters for Point Reyes National Seashore. The visitor center is off Bear Valley Road, which intersects with California State Route 1 at Olema.
Go to the Bear Valley visitor center. Rangers there can answer any questions you have. You can also pick up a map of Point Reyes National Seashore here. On the other side of the entrance road to the visitor center, you will find the trailhead for the Earthquake Trail.
Walk or drive to the Earthquake Trail trailhead, then hike the Earthquake Trail. This loop trail is 0.6 miles long, or one kilometer. The trail is paved and accessible for the disabled. It takes you directly through the San Andreas Fault zone. The National Park Service has put in an extra effort on interpretation here. The fault itself is marked with light blue posts, so you can follow the exact fault line as you walk over it. At short intervals, the park service has also put up signs explaining what you are seeing.
Look at the offset fence. The trail goes past a wooden fence that was here during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. When the fault line moved, it broke the fence in two and moved the two halves 18 feet apart. This is one of a number of points on the trail where you can see and understand the motion of the two plates that slide past each other.
Look for the San Andreas Fault throughout the rest of your visit to Point Reyes. It is a constant presence: it runs under Tomales Bay, under the town of Olema, up the valley in which Olema sits, and under Bolinas Lagoon. It gives the region its distinctive shape, and you can see it clearly even on a map that does not label the fault.
